210 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Sept. 



Farming, &c., in the West. • 



"For what man in hie senses would ever undertake, 

 with money, to clear up, fence, and put good buildings on 

 a quarter section of wild land with any hope of ever real- 

 izing the amount of his outlay in dollars and cents V 



Mr. Editor : — The above query, almost in 

 the language of an axiom, is found in the July 

 number of the Farmer, over the signature of 

 S. W. With due respect for your worthy cor- 

 respondent, whom I imagine a fat old farmer 

 seated in his easy chair, looking out upon his 

 jfine farm, with its rich fields, his elegant man- 

 sion in the lovely grove, with its sparkling foun- 

 tains, singing birds, and soothing zephyrs, just 

 about in the center of the world with all creation 

 jogging on its monotonous course around him, I 

 must beg leave to take exceptions to the above 

 query. As he takes another long pull from his 

 "best Virginia fine cut," see what benevolence 

 and pity fill his mind. Ah ! he is thinking of 

 the poor, deluded pioneer; the children of the west 

 — sons of the forest, <fec., who have left the "rich 

 alluvial" of New York for a " barefoot living," 

 and ague to boot, in the western wilderness. 



We of " the west" are often amused by such 

 like sentiments and boy descriptionsof our coun- 

 try, people, and "et cetera," in the eastern pa- 

 pers, from the pens of gentlemen who have trav- 

 eled aZZoi'er the west. Some of their descriptions 

 aproximate the truth ; but many are only im- 

 pressions left upon a mind already biased, or 

 filled with dreams of " sweet home." Some of 

 the writers have left business that occupies their 

 mind ; dear families, that bind their afliections to 

 their homes, or the raven tresses of some loved 

 Delila, whose parting kiss is still warm on his 

 lips, are always floating before his eyes, and he 

 sees nothing aright. Or like friend S. W., he 

 " visited Ohio twenty years ago." Then Ohio 

 was the " Far West," no means were afforded to 

 market its produce — wheat was worth (in west- 

 ern Ohio) about 2.5 cts. ; corn, 122 cts.; pork, 

 the powder and ball to shoot it ; while salt cost 

 $9 per bbl., and other imported articles in pro- 

 portion. And although S. W. must know that 

 Ohio is one of the richest States in the Union, 

 with its hundred steam boats, its ships, and canal 

 boats, its cars flying in all directions, carrying 

 its surplus wealth to all parts of the world ; yet 

 so strong is the force of first impressions, when 

 he thinks of Ohio, it is Ohio twenty years ago. 



Seven years ago I first visited this place, 

 (southern part of Michigan.) It was indeed a 

 new country. Few and far between were the 

 cabins of the first settlers. If a sleigh-ride was 

 to^o off, the young man in his jumper, with auger 

 and ax to Jix-up in case of break down, started 

 off the day before some ten or fifteen miles 

 through a cut out road or over the openings, to 

 gather up the gals — and let me tell you, Mr. fed- 

 itor, some of the same gals would not dishonor 

 the best parlor in old Seneca. 



But how changed the scene now. In the west,, 

 improvements scarcely wait for time. Comfort- 

 able dwellings to a great extent have taken the 

 place of the log cabin, surrounded by from fifty 

 to two hundred acres of improved land, and all 

 the comforts one can ask. Beautiful villages, 

 with all the bustle, the anxiety, the busy din, the 

 school, the church going bell, and all the para- 

 phranaliaof an eastern village of half a century's 

 growth, have sprung up from the forest as by the 

 touch of some magic hand. And where not ten 

 years ago the Indian trailed his weary way, or 

 sat unmolested in his wigwam, four locomotives 

 daily shake the earth as they fly along, bearing 

 the rich and rapidly increasing produce of our 

 beautiful country. 



S. W. evidently has a wrong opinion of the 

 character of our first settlers. If many of your 

 young men have emigrated from old Seneca, let 

 him look about and he will see that they are gen- 

 erally the most industrious and enterprising — 

 drones never leave the hive till they are com- 

 pelled to do so. 



I would be glad to say much more about the 

 west and western society, &:c., but I do not like 

 to occupy so much space in your valuable paper. 

 But one case in answer to the query of S. W., 

 with which I commenced. Two years last spring 

 a friend of mine purchased a large tract of wild 

 land about nine miles from here, in what we call 

 the " south woods." He built him a neat log 

 house, sent for the "Farmer," and left the vil- 

 lage for the woods. That season he cleared off 

 and got in forty acres of wheat which he told me 

 turned out about thirty bushels per acre. Now 

 to the query. Wild land there is worth about 

 •'?;4 per acre. #12 per acre will clear and fence 

 into convenient fields the heaviest timber land we 

 have. Cost of getting in about .50 cents per acre, 

 (only harrow in ;) cost of seed, say $1 : harvest- 

 ing and threshing, say #3 per acre — #2U.50 cost 

 of land, clearing, and first crop. I think the 

 sale averaged about 87* cts. per bushel — -'§26,2.5 

 per acre, or $6,25 net profit per acre, besides a 

 lusty yield of straw. Last fall the stubble was 

 burned off and another crop harrowed in, (to- 

 gether with another good bit of new land,) whicb 

 now with little cost promises a good crop. Now 

 the land should be stocked in grass about three 

 years, when the roots will be well rotted and to 

 all practicable purposes he will have an old farm. 

 This is not an isolated case. In the immediate 

 vicinity are half a dozen such farms, only a little 

 older, beside a number smaller. Our openings 

 require a greater outlay in team or to break, but 

 when once broke and rotten they are like old 

 farms. 



If a young man, or old man is well settled on 

 a good farm in "old Seneca," with S. W. I would 

 advise him to there abide. But if his patrimony 

 is small, or he has a large family whom he wishes 

 to settle, be may turn a small farm there into lands 



